michael carvin

With a career that spans half a century, master drummer Michael Carvin has plenty to look back on, although he’s mostly a forward-looking man. To say he’s been prolific puts it mildly. By his own count, he’s made some 250 recordings and toured the world five times. He has worked with such major jazz luminaries as Jackie McLean, Dizzy Gillespie, Pharaoh Sanders, and Freddie Hubbard, among many others, in addition to fronting his own bands and recording ten albums as a leader. His strong influence on jazz drumming is clear through his long teaching career as well, both through the Michael Carvin School of Drumming he founded in the early 1970s and through work at Rutgers University, the University of Hartford, the New School, and elsewhere. He estimates that he’s taught as many as 300 students, notably including Camille Gainer, Allison Miller, Ralph Peterson, Eric McPherson, E.J. Strickland, Kim Thompson, and Max Tucker.

Carvin clearly feels at home in just about any musical context, and he has a very holistic view of music, preferring not to use terms and labels that compartmentalize it. His early professional experience included stints with Motown Records and blues icon B.B. King, and he has fond memories of being drum captain in his high school marching band. In his long career in jazz, his work has ranged from the avant garde to straight ahead and much that lies in between. His own last two records albums reflect both ends of that spectrum—the explorative Lost and Found Project 2065 (Mr. Buddy, 2010) and the swinging, post-bop Michael Carvin, part of the Marsalis Music Honors Series (Marsalis Music, 2006). Read more »

“The January/February 2007 issue of JazzTimes features the magazine’s Readers’ Poll, which lists tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, the featured soloist on Marsalis Music Honors Michael Carvin, as “Best New Artist” of ’06 ”

The jazz drummer is never just a timekeeper. He or she works with the bassist to keep the music driving, but works hard to color every song with various textures that portray appropriate moods. The drummer will solo, and if inclined, may wish to show off a little. A veteran will adapt distinctive techniques to his performance that allows us to recognize him clearly from a distance.

When the drummer is also a leader, everybody benefits from the designs that he employs, and from the strong foundation that he provides. It’s usually democratic. Everybody does his share, and everyone enjoys a certain amount of freedom. This works out especially well when the drummer shares his experience with his band members as a teacher.Read more »

Michael Carvin has been instrumental in developing the careers of other percussionists as a coach (his preferred term over teacher), but the veteran drummer has had infrequent opportunities to record as a leader during his long career. This Marsalis Music CD, Carvin’s first release in a decade, demonstrates his masterful musicianship, working with a trio of younger musicians who are obvious inspired by his playing. The sizzling introduction to “I’ll Remember April” avoids typical approaches, powered by the leader’s unusual percussive accents.Read more »